Porcelain Tears
by Realm Of Chaos
Summary: Mahoras resident Mangaka begins to experience odd dreams. But are they dreams of the what has hapenned, or what is yet to come?
1. Chapter 1 : Insomnia

**Porcelain Tears**

**Chapter One**

"Come on, follow me!" The boy yelled, as he ducked into a side alley. The footsteps that followed him told him that his charge had heard, and responded to his call. Tugging on the females arm, he continued down the dark outdoor corridor. A few seconds into the alley, he suddenly stopped, and let out a groan of dismay. A dead end. Turning back to the girl, he gasped. She was gone. In her place, a tall, stunningly handsome looking young man. He was dressed from head to foot in black, but it was in the form of an elegant dinner jacket, well cut trousers, and a flowing cape. The mans features were so elegant, so defined. Everything from his small, cold blue eyes to his well trimmed, thin beard, and pale skin. Even his hair, a widows peak, was elegant, and noble. He smiled at the boy.

"Looking for someone?" he asked. His voice was almost hypnotic. The boy tried to back away from the imposing figure, but was frozen to the spot.

"Who are you?" The boy asked, his voice wavering with fear, "And why do the mindless things not attack you?"

"Why? Because, my dear, sweet Micheal, I am their master." The boy gasped.

"Then you are..."

"Demitri Vladimir von Hausen."

The boy glared at the handsome man. "Nosferatu! VAMPIRE!" He yelled, suddenly lurching forward, his hands reaching inside his coat. His hand never reached the wooden stake it had been charging for. Around his wrist was the vampires own hand, gripping his hand like an iron vice. The boy winced in pain. The vampire leaned in close to the boy.

"I am sorry, Micheal, but I cannot alow you, the only...living...heir to the von Hausen name get away." The vampire said. He moved his lips in closer to the boy, brushing them against the boys own, before moving forwards, to sinking his teeth into the boys neck.

Haruna sat up, panting. _Wow... _she thought to herself, searching with one of her hands for her glasses, which were on the desk near her bed. Her questing hand finally finding her trademark rectangular rims, she pulled the glasses up, gave them a quick wipe with her bedsheet, and placed them on. What had been a blur before became a focused world. Or, would've, had there been enough light to see. The girl looked over at the illuminated clock that sat on the desk. _Ten to seven...Not enough time to write my dream here...damn my inspiration... _She thought, brushing aside her covers, and padding silently over to her wardrobe. A cute mumble came from the bed that was above hers, but it was the mumble of someone deep within slumber. Harunas best friend, Yue Ayase, was sleeping soundly. The artistic girl grinned, especially since the mumble had sounded very similar to the name of a certain teacher that Haruna knew Yue was, to put it nicely, besotted with. Making sure she made as little noise as possible, Haruna got changed into her school uniform, and snuck out of the room.

The corridors of the dorm hall were completely devoid of life, something Haruna had been expecting, she was normally one of the first people in the building to wake up, as it is. _Although, _she thought as she went past one of the rooms, _It looks like Hasegawa-san has beaten me to it, again._ There was a light shinging around the frame of the door, and a tapping sound coming from within. _Always on a computer. What a net otaku... _Haruna thought, before giggling. The girl wondered how Chisame would react if she found out that almost everyone in the class knew her 'secret' identity. A chilly wind hit the female as she exitted the building, making her wish she had put on a jumper. Shivering slightly, she began to jog towards the school building.

_Seems everyone's got the wake up bug this morning _Haruna mused, as she passed Makie Sasaki, and Ako Izumi, who both seemed to be training themselves. Makie was wearing her famous 'pink albatross' leotard, and Ako was in her soccer uniform. Haruna waved at the two, smiling brightly, before continuing on her jog. It took her a little under ten minutes to get to the school building, and a furthur two to change her shoes, and make her way up to 3-A. As she openned the door, she allowed a smile to pass her lips. There she was. Every morning. No matter how early Haruna arrived, Zazie Rainyday was always earlier than her. The tanned girl was sitting in her seat, a little back from the desk, and she was juggling. She had a deadpan look on her face, as usual, and her concentration was locked on the four rapidly spinning juggling clubs. Haruna waved at her, but received no imput from Zazie. This didn't phase her at all, Zazie was the quietest person in the class by a fair distance, and she barely spoke at all.

Sitting down at her desk, Haruna sighed. The faint swish of clothing from Zazie was the only noise she could hear, and it was, in a way, comforting. _Everything is as it should be, _the green haired girl though, before pushing her glasses back up to her eyes, as they had a tendancy of slipping down the bridge of her nose. She removed an A4 pad from her desk, and openned it. Writing covered the entire page. At the top of the pad there were several bookmarks, and bits of paper, indicating areas of interest. The one she openned the pad at next was the biggest, and most solid, and it needed to be, because it marked the next blank page. Withdrawing a pen out from her little blue pen case she twirled it in her hand a few times, before beginning to write.

The next thing Haruna noticed something besides the pen, paper, words and imaginary world she had conjoured up within her head was a cough. She looked up, directly into the slightly pouting face of Yue.

"Yuetchi! Good morning" She said, brightly.

"Hello, Paru. Another dream?" Yue asked in her usual monotones. Haruna had to supress the laugh she wanted to release, Yues was so cute when she was like this. _Slightly annoyed. Probably because I didn't wake her..._

"Yep! It was really vivid, too. I could defenitely make a short story out of it." She replied, nodding. She began to flick thorugh what she had written, and found to her own surprise that she had done a few doodles, along with the reams of words. "The only thing that's annoying is I can't remember the name of someone..."

Yue was a little pleased to hear this. Haruna was an incredibly talented writer and artist, but she did have a black spot at remembering things without writing them down. It was her big secret, one that Yue and Nodoka guarded well for her. Haruna tapped one of the doodles with her pen.

"That guy. He's a vampire. Count something von Hausen."

"Demitri"

Haruna and Yue both turned to who had said the word. It was the tiny blonde girl, Evangeline MacDowell. Paru gasped, and smiled. "YES! Demitri Vladimir Von Hausen!" She proclaimed, writing the name down underneith the doodle.

"How did you know that, Evangeline-san?" Yue asked.

Evangeline grinned. "He's famous. Back in the eighteenth century, he ruled over what is now known as Latvia with an iron fist. People believed that he was a vampire." Yue looked a little concerned.

"Haruna, have you ever heard of him?" The mangaka shook her head.

"No, nowhere outside of my dream. Guess I must know about him subconsciously, or something." She replied, shrugging it off. She had done things like this before. Once, she had put nearly a weeks worth of writing into a story, only to find it had been a legend she had heard when she was five.

Neither Evangeline nor Yue got the chance to say anything more, as at that moment, Negi Springfield, the classes ten year old teacher walked into the room. **See you after class **Haruna mouthed to Yue, as the girl looked back at her. The rest of the class drifted to their seats, and class began. As this hapenned, the girl began to count within her own mind. She had gotten up to thirty five before something hapenned to make her stop. She did this every lesson, and so far, ninety three had been her biggest number. She would stop counting if; A) The trickster trio pulled a prank on Negi, B) The word Lolita was used in referance to Ayaka, C) The term Baboon was used to describe Asuna, or D) if someone fully removed an article of clothing from their upper or middle torso. Shoes, socks, hats and coats didn't count for this one. This time, it was part B that had caused her to cease her counting. _And there goes the lesson._ Haruna thought with a sigh. She replaced the marker in her writing pad, and placed it back within her desk. She then took out her sketch book, and notes on her published work, and began to do some work on that. However, her mind stayed on the vampire and the boy that she had dreamt about.

As Haruna had predicted, the lesson degenerated into chaos, and it was only the ending bell that brought some semblence of order back to the girls. Haruna was one of the first out of her seat, almost running across the classroom, and hugging Yue, her arms going across Yues chest. The short girl seemed not to mind, merely withdrawing a box of juice from her desk, and piercing the film circle on the top with the straw. Nodoka Miyazaki, the classes book worm, approached the two, thus completing their little group of friends. _The library trio. A writer, a reader and a philosopher. _Haruna thought with a light chuckle.

"Haruna and I do not have any more classes today." Yue told Nodoka. She nodded.

"I have one more. I'll, uh, meet you in the library." She said, her voice quiet, and a little shakey. Haruna couldn't help but beam. Her two friends were just too cute. Squeezing Yue again a little, she pipped in, "Yue's gonna be assisting the Librarian today, but I've got a deadline due, so I need to do some work on that."

The two other girls walked Nodoka to her classroom, before splitting up themselves. "I have to get something for Akashi-sensei. I will meet you in the Library in a while." Yue had said, and Haruna had nodded at this. Yue was the second best book finder in the whole explorer club, second only to Nodoka. The two could, with a little time, find ANY book within the library. As the girl walked onwards, she rounded one of the school buildings, which brought Library Island into sight. The whole place was amazing to behold. Sitting on the middle of Mahora lake, the sun glistening on the water made the leviathan of a building practically glow. Haruna still got goosebumps looking at the huge place, even though she had grown up near it. She was one of the people in the class that had lived in Mahora for most of her life. She was so overawed by the place that she failed to notice the person in front of her until she had practically walked into her.

"Ah! Oh, Chachamaru, Evangeline-san. I didn't see you two there." She said, stumbling back sightly. Evangeline grinned smugly.

"Of course you didn't. I thought I'd be the good samaritan today, and do a good deed. Don't get involved with the Legend of Hausen any more than you are. It'll end badly." The tiny girl said to Paru, whos brow furrowed in confusion.

"What do you mean, end badly? It's just a story." She said, highly confused. Evangeline laughed loudly.

"Believe what you want, Saotome-san. Just don't say you weren't warned." She said, before walking away from the girl. Chachamaru bowed slightly, before whispering "Legends always have their basis within truth" and walking behind Evangeline. Haruna watched the duo walk off, before shaking her head. _Weird girls. It's pretty clear who wears the trousers in THAT relationship. Oh! I wonder if those two are THAT way? _She thought to herself, as she continued her walk towards the library. The thought of the tall, silent Chachamaru with the tiny and aggressive Evangeline entertained Haruna to no end, and she had to stop walking at one point to catch the breath she had lost through her laughter.

Upon walking into the library, Paru was hit by the familiar smell of old books. That smell was one of her drugs, it truely did get her going. She waved at the counter attendant, a young girl called Tomiko. She was in the year below Haruna, and had long black hair, of similar length and design to Harunas. She even had an antennae strand at the top of her forehead, but it seemed to be a little limp, and constantly got in her eyes. The girl smiled, and walked over to Haruna. "Good morning, Saotome-senpai! I got to read the newest Y! Shonen magazine today. I loved your short in it." Haruna smiled at the girl.

"Thank you, Tomi-chan." She said, before reaching into her bag, and withdrawing a black marker pen.

"The usual mark?" She said, popping the lid off the pen, and grinning cheekily. The shorter girl almost jumped for joy.

"Yes please!"

Haruna took the magazine from the girl, and openned the cover. In it, she wrote 'To Tomi-chan. Ganbatte. Thank you for your support. Paru'

"There, all done." She said, clicking the lid back onto the pen, and slipping it back into her bag. As a rule, she didn't give out autographs, but Tomiko was a really die-hard fan.

"So, what brings you here today?" The younger girl asked.

"Deadlines...As always..." Haruna said, sighing slightly. Being a mangaka would have been so much easier if she didn't have deadlines. "I'm also doing a bit of research for a new story."

"Well, if you need any help, feel free to ask me. Good luck, Paru-senpai!" The girl said, smiling, and walking back to the counter.

Haruna walked across the grand hall that was the main foyer of the Library, heading for one of the wrought iron staircases that were set into the stone at various points along the hall. stepping down the spiral stairway, she looked at the little white metal signs that showed what was on what level. She went past four levels before she got to where she was going. Eighteenth Century European Mythology. She stepped off the stairs, and headed over to one of the four PCs that made up this sections records. The Library had a very efficient filing system. Every section got its own area, and its own set of PCs to browse the titles, and a little bit of info about each book. The system must have taken years to implement. Haruna sat down at the computer, and logged onto the system. Everyone in the school had a unique code to get into the system, of varying degrees of access. Those in the Library Exploration and Literature clubs had high levels of access, whereas those in sporting clubs were given relatively limited access. She selected the option 'Search by Reference' option, one available only to the Explorers and Literature club members, and typed in the phrase 'Von Hausen', before clicking enter.

Ten minutes later, the bespectacled girl was walking along the row upon row of books, with a little list in her hand. She had been able to find three books that had references to the Von Hausen family, and one that refered directly to Demitri. Strangely, there had been nothing on Micheal Von Hausen, the 'hero' of Parus dream. _Which is odd, because you'd think he were important, being the last living member of the family. Maybe I just made that bit up... _She thought as she walked along the dusty book cases. _Uugh. Dust. All the money the library gets for funding, and they never think to hire a team of cleaners... _She thought, before sneezing loudly. She sneezed again, and again, before finally sniffing. "Dust..." She mumbled. After a few moments , she reached up for a book that had caught her eye. **Eastern Europe, It's Myths and Legends **by Giancarlo Hossi. Flicking through the book, she noted that there was a bookmark already in the pages. Having a quick look at the contents of the page, she gasped. It had a little story on the eighty year rampage of the Von Hausens.

**Many believed that, in 1719, the Lord Von Hausen married a woman who had within her the blood of Nosferatu. It was she who tainted the bloodline Von Hausen, and she who pulled the strings. Others say it was one of the young girls that the Lord had bought, as playthings, and as companions for his daughter, Stefania. Of course, the truth of the matter is that the Von Hausen family did terrible things in what is now Latvia, but wether or not they were Vampires is another matter. It is the authors opinion that this 'myth' is a nonsense, created by the peasants of the time to explain the lords ruthlessness.**

_Well, so much for useful... _Paru thought, before going to put the book back. Before she did though, she flicked the bookmark over, purely on a wild whim. On the reverse, the words 'Page Seventy Three' were written. Flicking through the book, she found the page. There was a picture on it. There was a tall, elderly man with his arms up over his head, in the classic vampire pose, menacing a young boy whos features and clothing were exactly the same as the boys from her dream. Behind him, a young person was cowering, clutching onto the boys arms. The face was obscured by the hood the child wore. Underneith the picture, the phrase **Maxwell Faces off against the dread Vampire, protecting She of the Crying Sky. **Haruna wrinkled her brow, before reading the story next to the picture.

**In the late 1700s Vampiric feuding was at an all time high. Three mighty families all fought each other for control of Europe. The mightiest of these was Lord Von Dracula. It was in 1783 that Maxwell was born. He was destined to overthrow the Vampire Lords, and bring about peace for humanity. Aided by the mysterious She of the Crying Sky, a young girl who could communicate with beasts, he fought back the Vampiric undead hordes, and in the end, managed to end the terror of nearly eighty vampiresa. Though he was killed by one such beast, It is believed that he inspired the Vampiric purges of 1801. which lead to the near extinction of the plague known as Nosferatu.**

_These are kids horror stories. What a waste of time... _Haruna sighed, placing the book back on the shelf. "The next one better shed some light on this, or I'm going back to drawing..." She muttered, almost to herself. She believed that the Library itself was like a living creature, a vast beast of stone and tile, full of knowledge. She was threatenning it now. "Don't waste my time again, Ya hear?" She chuckled. Even though she was a modern girl, and reasonably intelligent, she did like to think there was something more to life than mundane things. Magic, Mystery, the Soul, all those things. _Silly, though. Normalcy will do for me.. _She thought, as she picked up the next book.

"Huh? The pages are blank?" She said aloud, genuinely startled by the revelation. She had never seen this before, a book this old with such stark, white pages. _The writing. It's all been erased. _She thought, before feeling someone behind her. She span round, but saw nothing.

"Not Erased. Simply...Gone!" A voice practiclly snarled. A hand placed itself on Harunas neck, and gripped. Haruna span again, but again, saw nothing. She shivered, and hurredly put the book back. The whole area seemed to be a little darker now. _Come on Paru, pull yourself together. You're imagining things... _She tried to reassure herself. She walked onwards, and found the last book she had been looking for. **Grimoire Of Mysterie. **Haruna groaned. This book looked newer than the others, and was written by a Japanese person. _Right, like we're going to know about obscure European history... _She thought, shaking her head. She had a quick look through the book, and was proved right. It had very little information on the story. She was about to turn away, when she heard a little gasp. She turned, to see Zazie standing, staring at her with wide eyes. "Th...that book..." She whispered.

Paru was in shock. Not only was Zazie doing something other than juggling or acrobatics, but she was talking. Talking to her. _Zazie's got a cute voice. _A tiny part of Harunas brain said, before shutting up.

"Oh, this thing? Heh..Not very reliable, if you ask me. No good for what I need." She said, a little meekly. She offered it to Zazie. "It's no use to me at all. You're welcome to it."

Zazies features changed, for a spilt second. Haruna could have sworn she saw the girl smile. "Thank...you..." She whispered, taking hold of the book, and walking away. _Strange girl._ Haruna thought. She had, as Mahoras rumor mill, heard all the rumors about Zazie. She's a demon. She can talk to animals. She can change into an animal. She sleeps with animals. Her tattoos can shoot lasers, and her hair is actually a wig. The last one she had made up herself, because she was rather bored, and thought it was funny. However, she had never expected it to be believed.

Sighing, she walked back to the computer, and logged off. _Another wasted hour... _She mused, as she began to walk back up the stairs. She didn't see Zazie on her way up, so she assumed she had gone to a reading room. However, this was not the case. The silver haired girl had watched Haruna go, before closing her eyes. _I've finally found your spirit again, Micheal. But I fear, HE has also found it..._


	2. Chapter 2 : Amnesia

**Chapter 2 - Amnesia**

Haruna emerged from the depths of the library feeling a little low. If there was one thing she hated most of all, it was wasted time, and that little journey of discovery, or not, as it turned out, had been a total waste of time. She was about to leave, when she saw Yue standing at the counter. "AH! Yuetchi!" She yelped, before remembering where she was, and spinning. "Sorry, everyone..." She said, her voice low. Jogging over to the counter, she smiled widely at Yue. "Ne, Ne, You know what? I think Chachamaru and Evangeline are gay." She said, her rumor mode activating. She had a sly grin on her face, and she glanced sideways at Tomiko, who had already begun to blush.

"What makes you think that?" Yue asked.

"Well, Maru-chan always follows Evangeline around. Excpet when Satomi tells her to do something else. OOH! Maybe Satomi and Evangeline are, like, her mistresses, and she's a sub!"

By now, the blush on Tomikos face was bright red. "E-excuse me please!" She stuttered, before dashing off. Haruna laughed after the girl was out of earshot.

"That was cruel" Yue said, grinning a little. Haruna smiled her trademark smile.

"Yep!" She declared, before giggling again. She sat down next to the counter, and withdrew her pad from her bag again. She began to draw, but her mind was on other things. She sighed, and placed her pencil down next to her pad. I'_m bored. I have a deadline in a few days, and I'm sitting around doing nothing...Maybe Shigure-san can give me a little extra time on the deadline... _Haruna sighed again.

"Do you still think Tomiko has a crush on you?" Yue asked the girl, in hopes to get her mind off whatever was troubling her.

"I don't think so. She's just a bit of a Paru otaku..." Haruna muttered. Boredom was setting in fast, and if she didn't do something soon, she would go crazy.

"Yueeee. Entertain me!" She whinged, in a mock childish voice. She groaned, and rested her head against her sketchpad.

A little while later, Nodoka turned up at the Library. As she entered the foyer, she saw her friend slumped down at one of the desks. "Ah! Paru-chan!" She squeaked, and dashed over to the girl. "Are you ok?"

"I'm bored, Nodoka-chan. Very bored..." She mumbled. She was also leaving out a small bit of info, something she hadn't been telling either of the girls. She was tired. Over the last month or so, she had been getting less and less sleep. At first, she hadn't noticed, but now it seemed like the tiredness was crashing over her in waves.

Nodoka hurriedly walked over to the counter, and whispered to Yue, "How long has she been like that?" Yues brow furrowed, and she looked a little down.

"She turned up about twenty minutes after I got here, and has pretty much been like that since. She's normally so much more...alive. I don't know what's wrong." She said, worry present in her voice.

"Um...I could...you know...use..THAT..." Nodoka whispered, wringing her hands together.

"Your...artifact?" Yue asked. Nodoka nodded. "I could see what she's thinking..."

"I think, right now, it may be our only option..." Yue said, grimly.

Once Tomiko had returned from her break, the two bookworms headed for an uncrowded area, which was not hard to find. When there, Nodoka sumonned her Artifact.

"Adeat!" The little girl said, and the card she had taken out from its safe place began to glow. The glowing object began to change shape, eventually becoming the rough shape of a book. The glow faded, and the mind reading book had formed in Nodokas hands, the book that she alone could read. Yue was a little jealous of this, for two reasons. Firstly, it was a power that she would never have, and secondly it meant she had kissed Negi. _Not that that matters, or anything. _She thought, hurredly. Nodoka had openned the book by now, and she spoke the name Saotome Haruna. The book began to change again, this time, words and images forming on the blank pages. As the two girls watched, the words began to form solidly.

**..Deadline coming soon, I should be drawing. But I can't, I can only think about Micheal and Demitri. But I can't find out anything about them. And what was with that blank book, and the horrible hand feeling? Freakish. Maybe Evangeline really was talking about something real, like a curse. But why would Zazie be looking for the same book, she doesn't strike me as the reading type. AAGH!! I really need to get some sleep. Nodoka and Yue will find out about my insomnia if I'm not careful...But I can't help it, my deadlines are always so tight...Plus with classes, and Helping out at the Library, and the explorer club...I'm under loads of pressure...**

"She's stressed out..." Yue mumbled. She had no idea how much stress the constant deadlines put on her friend. She and Nodoka did try to help out as much as they could, but they could only do so much.

"Poor Haruna..." Nodoka added. She suddenly gasped, as the next page had begun to form, and had a picture with it. The picture was of a young boy and a young man intertwined in what could only modestly be called an embrace. The word Yaoi formed, and Nodoka hurriedly slammed the book shut. That was the problem with being in other peoples minds, you had no control over what they thought about. She turned to Yue, blushing wildly.

"She can be really scary some times..." She mumbled. Yue nodded enthatically. She had been on the bad side of Haruna wrath before, once, and for nearly an entire month, everyone believed that touching her would turn them to stone. Suddenly, the book began to shake. Nodoka openned it again, and gasped.

**What's going on? I can hardly move my head. Aagh! AAGH! I can't move anything. My eyes are..closing...can't...stop...sleepy...**

With that, the glow faded, and the pages turned blank again. "YUE!?" Nodoka yelped, but the girl had already began running back to Haruna. When the short girl arrived, Haruna was slumped against the counter, with Tomiko kneeling next to her. She turned to see Yue. When she spoke, her voice was shaky, and uncertain.

"She just fainted...Senpai, what's hapenned to her?" She asked, looking to Yue for answers.

"I...I don't know..." Yue mumbled. She was almost as shocked as Tomiko. She had seen how much stress Haruna was under, but she didn't think she would faint. Nodoka came running up, as did a few other students.

"Nodoka! Go get Negi-sensei." Yue yelped. Nodoka nodded, and ran forwards, straight into a familiar figure. It was Asuna Kagurazaka.

"Heya, Honya-chan. Where you off to in such a hurry?" She said, smiling.

"Haruna's fainted, I need to find Negi-sensei." Nodoka said, her words quick, and paniced.

"That brat's with Evangeline, in his daily you know what." She whispered, indicating the small boys daily training, "Why him?" She asked, pushing her way through the crowd of people. "HEY! You could give her some room, you know..." she yelled, shocking the Library goes into moving back.

"Asuna-san, we need to get Paru out of here. There's too much dusat, and too many people." Yue said, trying to pick Haruna up. She failed. Asuna gently nudged the girl out of the way. "I'll help. Come on." She said, and she slowly lifted the girl upwards. You're heavier than you look, Paru-chan... Asuna thought, as she walked out of the door, followed by Nodoka and Yue. Of course, I'd never say that to your face. I don't want to be known as Mole Butt again...

Yue banged on the cottage door heavily. She only hoped that Evangeline and Negi were done with their training. Fortune was on her side, as not long after, Chachamaru openned the door.

"Ayase-san. Do you need to see Evangeline-sama?" Yue was panting.

"Is...Negi...sensei...here?" She managed to say, between her breaths.

"Ayase-san? What's wrong?" A voice came from within the cottage. Negi appeared next to Chachamaru, a look of concern on his beplastered face.

"Sensei...It's Haruna, she's..."

"She's not getting help here." A commanding voice came from within the cottage. Yue looked inside, and saw Evasngeline sitting on a large sofa, covered with blankets. She was laughing.

"Hahaha! I warned her not to get involved!" She proclaimed. Negi looked back at Eva.

"Master?"

"She's in the middle of it now, and I washed my hands of that story a long time ago. You want to treat her, Boya, do it away from here!" She yelled, anger present in her voice.

Negi accompanied Yue back to where Asuna and Nodoka had rested with Haruna, who was now sweating.

"She's got some sort of fever, I think, I dunno..." Asuna said, looking lost.

"What hapenned?" The lilliputian teacher asked.

"We don't know. She was a little despondant when we met her in the library, and, uh, we kinda read her mind, and she was all stressed out, but then she just kinda stopped thinking." Nodoka managed to say, blushing profusely.

"I've never heard of an illness like that. It couldn't have been something magical, could it?" Yue said, thinking hard.

"Magical? Where was she when you found her?"

"She was in the Foyer. I asked Tomiko, and Haruna had only been down to the third of fourth level." Yue said. She was already prepared for what she knew the teachers response was going to be.

"That high up?"

"There have been several cases of mysterious hapennings in the Library, not just on the lower levels. Things going missing, books randomly falling off shelves. One person even thought she saw an adult male orangutan reading a book once. She ran away, but when people went to look, there was nothing but a faint bananary aroma."

"I'll scan her with my magic, then, Ayase-san, if that will make you feel better." The tiny mage said, waving his staff over the girl. He gasped, and pulled back.

"What is it, Aniki?" A tiny voice suddenly pipped in. Alberto 'Chamo' Chamomile, the teachers ermine companion, had been asleep in the boys hood, but was now awake.

"She's got an evil influence within her..." He managed, after several stutters.

"WHAAAAAT!?" Chamo yelled.

"Sensei, what does that mean?" Yue asked, gripping onto Parus hand, and holding it tightly.

"It means she's under the thrall of a vampire." Negi said.

"Well, then, it's no problem!" Asuna said, triumphantly. The others in the group looked at her. She grinned.

"Negi's gotten people out of that thrall thingy before, he can do it again." She said, adding, "Remeber, with Evangeline? Makie, and Yuuna and some others were under her thrall, and you snapped them out of it." Negi snapped his fingers, and smiled.

"Oh, yes! The dispell!" He said, holding his wand out at an angle. He began to mutter in latin, and a dull light enveloped the still girl. A few seconds later, she began to rise off the floor, as did Negi.

The spell took nearly a minute to enact itself. Everything went smoothly, but as the spell faded, the words 'you may have dispelled my thrall, but she will be mine' echoed throughout the glade, barely perceivable. It was only Chamo who was able to hear it. Afterwards, Haruna began to mumble, and, gradually, began to wake up. She looked at the gathered people, and her brow wrinkled. "What hapenned?

"You fainted. You have been putting in too much work recently, and you need some rest." Yue said, with her customary pout. Haruna smiled weakly.

"Maybe..." She began, but she was stopped by both Yue and Nodoka hugging her.

"Thank goodness you are ok"

"Haruna's back." Haruna looked confused.

"I don't remember anything. Last thing I remember was someones hand on my shoulder, then I spoke to Zazie for a bit, then I went back up to the counter in the library, and spoke with Yue, but after that, everything's blank." She said, trying to remember anything more. She sighed.

"I really do need some sleep. I think I might go and get some rest." She said, pushing herself up onto her knees, and then onto her feet. She wobbled for a few seconds, before falling back down with a bump.

"Owwwie..." She said, rubbing her backwhere she had fallen. She looked up at Yue, and couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" the blue haired girl asked.

"Your concerned face is so cute, Yue." Haruna said, before erupting into a fit of giggles again. Yue sighed, but she did smile a little, too. That Haruna was this genki was a sign that she was on the up.

"Come on, Nodoka and I will get you back to the dorm room. You can get some sleep." Haruna nodded, and allowed the two girls to support her frame. As the thrio left, Asuna turned to Negi, as Chamo began to speak.

"Aniki, The vampire that did this..."

"We have to find them, and stop them. Who knows who they could go for next..." The small mage said.

"You don't think it could have been Zazie, do you?" Asuna asked. She had never known Chamo to make such a serious statement before, and be sincere about it, and it was worrying her.

"Maybe...I need to talk to Master, and Takamichi, about this..." At the mention of the older male, Asuna began to blush. Unseen, and unheard, by any of the group, a slight, shadowy figure was watching. After it was sure it was out of earshot of even the ermine creature, it whispered, "Thank you, Negi Springfield."

A little while later, Nodoka. Haruna and Yue arrived back at their dorm. Haruna had recovered enough by the time they got there to be able to walk again, but she was still rather shakey on her feet. The girl made her way over to her bed, and kicked off her shoes, not caring where they ended up. She was physically, and mentally tired. She could barely even think now. She just wanted to sleep.

"Yue and I will both be around. We're going to take shifts, so you'll not be alone, k?" Nodoka said, smiling warmly. Yue nodded.

"I'll be fine. I just want to sleep." Haruna said, yawning. Even before the girls got the chance to respond, her eyes had closed, and she was asleep even before her head had reached the pillow.


	3. Chapter 3 : Hatred

**Chapter Three : Hatred**

The sound of footsteps in the darkness. The girl began to quake with fear. She couldn't run, not anymore. Three whole days she had been running, her eyes constantly stinging from the snow, the wind and the tears. She was curled up now, covered completely by her ragged brown cloak, and hessian shawl, sobbing gently. She couldn't even talk. The footsteps got closer, closer, closer still. With each clonk, she became more and more afraid. The dark man had finally caught up with her. The footsteps stopped. She cringed.

"Hi there, little one. Now, how did you get all the way up here?" A young, kindly voice said. The girl moved slightly, trying to get a view through her swollen eyes at the person who was taking. There was a young boy, little more than twelve of thirteen years old, holding a lamp in one hand, and a ragged broom in the other. He had a warm, inviting smile on his face. He walked towards the shaking figure slowly, setting the lamp down where it would provide light, but not blind the child.

"My name's Micheal. I work here. Can you talk?" He said, not a trace of malice, or vicious intent present within his voice. The girl shifted her position, still sobbing, before sitting cross legged, facing the boy. Her entire form was covered by the cloak, except for her head, which was wrapped in the shawl. She shook her head. The boy reached forwards gingerly, but the girl withdrew herself rapidly.

"Sorry. I should have asked. Do you want some food, or water? I'm afraid I've only really got stale bread, though." The boy said, withdrawing a pouch of water, and a small crust of bread from his pockets. The girl regarded the pouch and bread for a few moments, torn between her ravenous hunger and thirst, and her mistrust of this stranger. After a few moments, she darted forwards, snatching the bread and water from the boy, and huddling back in her corner. The bread disappeared within seconds.

"Feel a little better now?" The boy asked, still smiling. The girl nodded emphatically. "I'm glad. Do you have a name?" He asked the girl, moving towards her slightly. The girl also moved forwards. She was not accustommed to kindness such as this, even from before she was chased by Him, so her movements were slow, and ponderous. It took her nearly ten minutes to bridge the two metre gap between the two of them, but once she was at the boy, she took a tight hold of his shirt, and pulled herself into a tight embrace. Tears began flowwing anew, and she was howling her eyes out in mere moments. The boy placed his arms around the small girl, returning the hug, and patting her reassuringly.

The two remained like that for almost an hour. It seemed that the girl had fallen asleep at one point, judging by her silence, and mumbling, but she had woken up now, and wanted to be free of the embrace. Micheal obliged, and set the girl back onto the floor. The girl tugged at his shirt again, indictating with her hand that she wanted to whisper something. The boy moved his head down, and, after a few seconds pause, the girl whispered, "I...am...she of...the crying sky..."

Haruna awoke from her dream to a pounding headache. _Another dream about Micheal... _Her mind wondered as she searched blindly for her glasses again. Her search was hindered by the bed sheet, which had chosen to wrap itself around her arm, giving her a limited reach. Eventually, she found the square cut viewing device, and positionned it on her face. Again, darkness greeted her. She looked over at the clock, to find that some random article of clothing had obscured the time. She sighed, and kicked the light duvet off of her. Trudging over to the clock, she lifted up what turned out to be a skirt, most likely Yues, and dropped it onto the floor. The time on the display was six thirty three.

Haruna groaned. She needed to write this dream down, too, but there just wasn't enough time. She hurriedly got changed, not being nearly as careful about noise as she had been yesterday. Just as she was about to leave the room, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Spinning on her feet, Haruna half expected to see some ghastly apparition, like what she had expected yesterday, but instead, she got the immensely worried face of Yue.

"Paru, where are you going this early?" She asked, her voice slightly croaky. She had only just woken up, and was still half asleep.

"School. I had another dream. I've got to write this down." Haruna said with a hasty smile about her. She was hopping from foot to foot, and edging closer to the door. Yue sighed.

"Paru, you need rest. Go back to sleep, please." Yue pleaded with the girl. It was, however, no use. She had the writing buzz, and she needed to get what was in her mind written down. With a look of sadness on her face, she said, "Sorry, Yuetchi. I'll sleep tomorrow, I promise" before winking to the girl, and exitting the room.

Her jog to school was uneventful, not even Chisame seemed to be awake at this time. In fact, it was almost eerily quiet. No birds making noise, no early morning joggers, save for herself. There weren't even any lights on in any of the dorm buildings. It was almost as if the whole world hadn't woken up yet. Haruna shuddered at this, before picking up her pace. She arrived at the school in just over five minutes, nearly half the time it normally took her. She changed her shoes rapidly, and began to make her way to the class room.

Upon openning the door, she gasped. Zazie was in the room, as normal, but she was not juggling, or doing anything she was normally associated with. She was sitting onto of her desk, cross legged, reading the book Haruna had passed onto her yesterday. She was also softly crying.

"Ah! Zazie-san? What's wrong?" Haruna said, rushing over to her classmate. Zazie looked up at Haruna, her face streaming with tears, but a huge, bright smile on her face.

"Haru...na" the tanned girl whispered, before slipping her legs out from underneith her, padding lightly onto the floor, and dashing over to the girl, hugging her tightly. The taller girl was too shocked to resist the acrobat, and the two ended up on the floor, in the aisle between the desks. Zazies arms were locked tightly around Harunas body, and she kept whispering "Thank you" over and over.

"Z..Zazie! Wha...what's going on?" Haruna managed, trying to push herself up. Again, the tiny, trecherous part of her brain lurked upwards, delivering _This feels kinda nice _before once again submerging into the depths. Ignoring ths, Haruna eventually managed to separate herself from the girl.

"I...sorry, Saotome-san..." The girl whispered, hanging her head. She sounded almost like she was going to burst into tears again. Haruna was still a little shaken by the whole thing, and was just thankful that no-one else in the class had seen the little ordeal. Lord only knows there were a few girls who wanted to get revenge on the Rumor Mill by spreading a few of their own. Looking at the perculiar girl, Haruna managed a smile.

"Hey, it's ok, Zazie-san. What was all that about anyway?" She asked, but got no response from Zazie, who just knelt there, her head hung low. Haruna sighed. Weird things are going on. Fainting yesterday, my random moving from the library to the forest, Zazie acting so un Zazie like. I wanna know what's going on... She mused, before standing up. She went over to her desk, and drew out the pad that she had written in yesterday. She also picked up the book Zazie had dropped. She padded back over to where Zazie was kneeling, and sat down infront of her.

"I want to know what's going on, Zazie. Why did you hug me? Why is this book so important?" Paru said to the girl, holding up the Grimoire of Mysterie. Zazie remained silent. Paru sighed, and took out the pad. She openned the page at the sketches she had done of Demitri and Micheal.

"Who are they, Zazie?" Again, silence. Paru lost her temper a little with the girl. "First you tackle hug me, now you won't even register my existence. What the hell, Zazie?" Silence. Then, from the girl, a light sob came. This was accompanied by more sobs.

"Z..Zazie, I..I didn't..." Paru stammered. She had never seen the girl like this before. From the circus star, the sobs became less after a little while. Haruna moved in a little closer, when she heard the girl whisper, "...you hate me..."

Haruna shook her head violently. "No, not at all, Zazie-san. I was just...shocked. I didn't expect something so sudden from you, this early..." She tried to get in closer, but Zazie pushed her away. "YOU HATE ME!" She yelled, pushing past Haruna, running out of the classroom, tears in her eyes. All Haruna could do was watch. She was completely clueless as to what was going on, and had inadvertantly made one of her classmates cry. _What did I do to deserve this? _She wondered, picking up the book and pad she had been carrying, and setting herself at her desk.

Yue was panting as she stood outside the dormroom. After a few moments, there was a rattling of the door handle on the other side, and a very tired looking Konoka Konoe openned the door. She had a dense look in here eyes, and was yawning widely.

"Yue...chan? Wha?" She said, stil quite clearly not awake. Yue pushed past her gently.

"Negi-sensei. I'm really worried about DWAH!?" Yue began, but was cut short when she saw that Negi was in bed with Asuna, his arms locked around her.

"SENSEI!? WHA..YOU..HUH?" Yue stammered, pointing at the couple. The noise was enough to wake the slumbering duo. Asuna looked right into the young teachers eyes, and screamed.

"KYAAAAAAAAAH! NEGI, YOU BRAT! GET OUT OF MY BED, RIGHT NOW!!"

As the youngster shuffled over to get out of the bunk bed, he accidentally caught his toe in the ankle cuff of the redheads pyjama trousers. Dropping out of the bed, he also took with him the girls trousers.

"YOU PERV!" THe rtedhead screamed, throwing a pillow at the boy.

Ten minutes later, order had been restored. The three girls, boy and ermine were sat around a small table. Konoka was putting the last of Negis plasters onto his face.

"There, that's the last one." The girl said, smiling. The boy thanked the girl. "Asuna, maybe using your sword was going a little too far?" She asked the girl, who sniffed.

"It's his own fault. Shouldn't sneak into my bed." She said, turning away, and huffing.

"Ayase-san, what did you come here for?" The wlesh boy asked. Yue turned to Negi, her face full of concern.

"Sensei, I'm worried about Haruna. She didn't get much sleep tonight, and she had another weird dream." The girl said, before taking a sip from her juice box. Negi cocked his head in surprise.

"Weird dream? How so?"

"I'm not really sure. She does this on occasion, has a really vivid dream that she has to write down. But she's had two in as many days. Normally, they're months apart." Yue said, a little uneasy about telling the group about her best friends habits. Negi looked a little concerned by this.

"Do you have any idea what the dreams are about?" He asked. Chamo, the ermine, piqued up at this.

"I think the last one was about some boy who was fighting against a vampire. I have no idea what todays was about. Sorry." Yue hung her head. _I'm not being helpful at all. I'm coming across as a paniced little girl. I need to calm down... _the braided girl thought to herself, taking in a deep breath. She looked to her teacher, who was looking decidedly worried. Asuna and Konoka were clueless, and the ermine was panicing.

"We need to know the whole story." Negi said, suddenly, "And the only two people who can tell us that are Haruna herself...and Master..."

For Haruna, the wait for class was killing her. She had lost her muse completely. No writing wanted to leave her pen, no drawings her pencil. She could'nt even stand to proofread any of her previous writing right now. She was feeling sick. Half of her was angry that she hadn't followed Zazie, but the other half was angry at Zazie for running away like a coward. _All of this vampire nonsense can wait. I need to know Zazie is ok._ She thought to herself, finally making the descison to follow.

"You really are clueless, aren't you?"

Haruna turned sharply, and came across the smirking visage of Evangeline.

"Yes, I am. I have no idea whnat's going on, and you do. So tell me what's going on!" Haruna practically yelled at the blonde vampire. She chuckled.

"And what if I don't? What will you do, Saotome-san?" Haruna glared at her from behind her glasses.

"Do you want the whole school to know you still play with dolls?" She said, thinking that she had just played a trump card. Evangeline laughed.

"Do I care what this school thinks? Bwahaha! Don't make me laugh." She said, dismissivly. Haruna glared at her more, but finally buckled.

"Evangeline-san. I just want to know what's going on. Please tell me." She said, her usually bright features falling, her entire body sagging slightly. Evangeline did not bat an eyelid.

"Very well. But first, you must call me Master." She said, grinning evilly. Harunas eyes widenned.

"You sick little lesbian! I would never do something so..degrading!" Haruna yelled at her, before stomping out of the classroom, leaving a rather amused Evangeline alone in the room.

Haruna was now fuming. Everything was going against her. She needed to get away from all this for as few hours. And there was only one place in the whole school that she knew she could do that. She was heading for her special place. Her walk took her around the back of one of the lesser used gyms, to a little storage shed. She removed a key from its hiding place withing one of the bricks of the huge hall. She unlocked the shed door, and went inside. The interior of the shed was something amazing to behold. It was...green. Green paint, green beanbags, green plants, green carpet, even green tints to the windows. Haruna smiled lightly, and let herself fall onto the nearest beanbag. No-one, not even Yue, or Nodoka, knew of this place. She had made it herself, nearly a year ago, with some of the money from her manga. She came to this place when she needed a break from stress, an afternoon of nothing but calm. This was somewhere Paru never went. This was Harunas secret place. Smiling, she closed her eyes, and allowed herself to drift into a light sleep.

Class went by as normal. Calmness for about a minute, before total anarchy took over. Yue had wanted to talk with Negi to Evangeline, but her schedule for today was packed. Her mind was not on work, though. Haruna had ben missing from the class, as had Zazie, and Kazumi Asakura. This set Yues mind in motion, and by the end of the class, she had envisionned almost every possible vampiric Zazie kidnap scenario imaginable. She desperately wanted answers, but she could not speak even with Nodoka, because of her rushed timings. Negi had confronted the short vampire about Haruna, but had been blanked. Evangeline had merely said she was 'not going to do that girl any favours', and had walked off. Negi had gone to follow her, when the headmaster had stopped him.

Twenty minutes later, the minute mage, along with Evangeline, Chachamaru, Asuna, Konoka and Setsuna Sakurazaki had assembled in the Headmasters study.

"I have been informed by one of our Librarians that a huge surge of dark power was manifested in the Library yesterday afternoon. I was wondering if you could shed any light on this." The headmaster said, from behind his desk. The group remained silent. The headmaster chuckled.

"I thought as much. Let me fill you in, then. Whilst nearly all of the books within the library are normal, some posess more than mere words. One such book has gone missing from the shelves. It was researched yesterday by two pupils, Negi-kun. Unfortunately, we cannot tell who. The book contained the remains of Demitri Von Hausen, one of the most dangerous Vampires in existence. We believe the openning of the book has re-awoken the Vampire. I am telling you this now, because the Legend of the Von Hausen is a terrible one. Every time Demitri has manifested, a Fated hero has been chosen. This hero will fight against the vampire with the aid of a girl known only as She of the Crying Sky. The hero of the legend always vanquishes the vampire, but loses his life in doing so."

Evangeline was silent, but the rest of the group began to clamour.

"So, the Vampire has posessed someone?" Negi asked. Konoemon shook his head.

"I'm afraid not. He is gathering his strength. At the moment, he is nothing more than a shadow, but he will regain a body with time. What we must do is make contact with She. If we can contact her, we might be able to discern who has been chosen as the tragic Micheal, the young hero whos fate it is to die. We may also be able to find a way of stopping the dreadful curse."

"You haven't got a hope." Evangeline snorted. She was glaring at Konoemon with deadly intent. "Nothing can break that curse. I have seen first hand what Hausen is capable of. He will not allow the curse to be lifted."

At the top of the belltower of the schools older, abandonned church, a girl sat. She was sitting on the edge of the parapet, her legs dangling outside of the tower, and there was a blue bird perched on her finger.

"Whatever will I do, Ginzo? I have made Micheals vessel hate me. I may well have doomed the entire world..." The girl said, her voice heavy with guilt. The bird chirruped a few times, before fluttring away from her finger, and perching on her head.

"You are right, my friend. I will have to be braver. I cannot let my own feelings come into conflict with my task. I need to inform Micheals vessel of her duties."

And, a little way away from both of these events, Haruna slept soundly within her house of green, blissfully unaware of the shadow that was watching her.


	4. Chapter 4 : Answers

**Chapter 4: Answers**

_**What is this place? There is magic everywhere, mixed in with the mundane. What is this mysterious language these strange faced humans gabble to each other? This is not the Old Country. Crying Sky once again shows her intelligence. I wil need to accustom myself to this place...**_ The thoughts of the shade ran like this as it continued its search. It had found the Vessel of Micheal, and had even put it under its thrall, but some foreign magic had cast his influence out._** I will make that mage sorry for daring to lock horns with the Von Hausen legacy. I must drain more power before I take on this whelp. I need more power, to manifest myself...**_ It thought, searching for those with large amounts of magical or spiritual power.

"We have no formal way of tracking the beast in its current form. We just have to wait until it strikes..." Konoemon stated sadly. This was a desperate tactic, especially for one such as he, who had his pupils safety as top priority. It was the look on Negis face that perked his interest.

"Um...By strike, what do you mean exactly?" The brown haired mage asked, nervously. The principle stroked his beard thoughtfully, before glancing at his own granddaughter.

"Von Hausen always picks the strongest at the start, to be under his thrall. That way, he can drain their power." Evangeline said, suddenly. She had a dark look on her face. "People whos power is evident to him. People like you, Boya, and Setsuna-san. Those who have weiklded their power since he was brought back." At this, Negi looked even more concerned. "What if...suppose someone like me had dispelled a thrall he had on someone else..."

"Then you'd be the next person on his hit list." Evangeline said, no hint of remorse in her voice. Small tears began to form in the corners of the youngsters eyes.

"I...I...don't wanna be a thrall!" He whimpered. Konoemon raised his eyebrows.

"You mean you cast out an influence already? Who over?" He said, his small eyes boring directly at Negi. The boy mumbled incoherently.

"It was Saotome Haruna, Headmaster." Asuna said, placing a reassuring hand on the welshmans shoulder. Konoemon nodded silently.

"Then, Haruna is a very lucky individual, to have escaped from the clutches of Demitri. What he would want with a mundane, I do not know..."

Haruna awoke with a cute yawn. Her hair was draped across her face, and her glasses were resting on her stomach. _I must've been sleeping deeply_ She mused, as she placed them back onto her face. The sun was still shining outside, and there was a stuffy heat to the shed. Haruna could see the heat haze out of the window. _It's so hot...uugh, I'm so sweaty...I need a bath..._ She could feel her shirt and underwear sticking to her, and shuddered. Struggling to get out from the enveloping beanbag, she eventually managed to get back to her feet. Sighing, she took one last look at her happy place. _Until I'm next too stressed to do anything, shed. Stay perfect._ She giggled at this thought. _I'm doing it again. Personifying buildings..._ She closed the shed door noiselessly, and locked it, hiding the key back behind one of the loose bricks on the gym hall.

"Manga Star In Sordid Shed Sleep Shocker!" A voice came from behind her. Haruna chuckled to herself. She knew that voice, and even if she didn;t she'd know those terrible assonations anywhere.

"Hello, Kazumi-chan." She said, turning, and smiling brightly. Kazumi Asakura, the schools roaving reporter, was leaning in between the shed and the large gym, and she was grinning intently. She was also holding a digital camera. The girl chuckled.

"I've got a wonderful shot of you sucking your thumb on this thing, Paru!" She proclaimed, smiling deviously. Haruna was not phased. The two girls were the snoopiest in the whole school, and had long ago made a deal not to spill any beans on each other. Haruna waved her hand dismissively.

"At least I don't sleep wth a nightlight." She said, grinning right back at the girl. _Just because we can't tell anything doesn't mean we can't use them for fun_ She thought. "Did you want something, Kazumi, or are you so besotted with me you had to come take pictures?"

The red haired girl laughed. _If only she knew WHY I have the nightlight. It's because Sayo is afraid of the dark._ She thought, before answering the artists question. "No, actually, I was doing a little investigating. I saw Zazie run away from the school building, and figured something was up. Now I find you going to your destress haven." Haruna look surprised. She thought no-one knew about this place. Kazumi, seeing this face, chuckled.

"Don't worry, its just the two of us that know about it." She said. _Of course, the two of us means Me and Sayo, but Paru doesn't need to know that._ Haruna nodded.

"I'd like it to stay that way, please." She said. Kazumi nodded. "So, you gonna tell Aunty Kazumi what's going on?" Haruna sighed.

"You know what. I honestly have no idea. The last day or so has been really messed up. I have no idea how, but I've made Zazie think I hate her, Evangeline came on to me, I've got a one hour blank in my memory, and I keep dreaming about this kid called Micheal from some eighteenth century myth." She said, her voice louder than it needed to be. Kazumi frowned. She had never seen Haruna so stressed before.

"I can see why you came here. But you really should come to class. Either that, or spend the day relaxing." She said, a sly grin emerging on her face. A grin that resonated with Harunas own grin. "Field day?" Haruna said. Kazumi nodded, her grin getting even bigger. "First stop, baths!" Haruna yelled.

It was a long time later. Kazumi, Haruna and the silent ghost, Sayo Aisaka, had spent a god hour in the baths, soaking themselves, and trading information on people. They had then gone to Starbooks for breakfast, and had spent the entire time making up funny stories about the other customers. After this, they had gone shopping. Haruna did tend to have more money than the rest of the class, because even though most of the money she made from her various projects went into locked savings accounts, she did get a small but servicable disposable income from it. She had her mother to thank for that. The woman was a genius with all things currency. Their latest stop was the multitude of book stores that made up the area of Mahora known as Manga Alley. If the book existed for retail sale, you would find it here. It always got Haruna a little nervous, some people within Mahora, but not in 3-A, knew that she was Paru, and she was forever dreading the day she got recognised._ I wonder if Chisame ever feels this worried. Might explain why she's always so grouchy._ She thought. It took her a few moments to notice that Kazumi had stopped.

"Hey, Haru-chan. You get the feeling something's not quite right?" The reporter whispered. Haruna got close to the girl, and whispered back, "Now that you mention it, there does seem to be something...nasty...about the air." The two girls advanced down the street slowly, both keeping their eye out for any sign of danger. Haruna caught some of the glances other people were making. Everyone seemed to be sensing the same thing. Out of nowhere, a smell like nothing the girls had ever experienced before hit their noses. It took every ounce of Harunas self control to stop herself from throwing up. Several people around them, however, were not as strong willed, and couldn't stop themselves. The odor was that of rotting, decomosing flesh.

"Oh my god! What the hell is going on?" Haruna managed to say to Kazumi, who had a horrified look on her face. She pointed up along the alleyway, to where Mahoras newer church, and graveyard, was located. Shambling slowly down the pathway was a...well, a pile of rotting flesh and bones. Haruna stared at the mutilated, moving corpse, her eyes a picture of terror. The crowds around the girls began to panic, running from the beastly abomination.

"Haruna! HARUNA!" Kazumi yelled, shaking the girl. Eventually, Haruna managed to tear her attention away from the thing, and she looked at Kazumi.

"RUN!!!" THe girl yelled at her, tugging at the girl furiously. It took a few seconds for the girl to register what Kazumi had said, but when she did, she turned, took hold of Kazumis hand, and ran.

"HEADMASTER!" A gruff male voice yelled from behind the door of the office. The assembled group turned, as Takamichi Takahata, The girls ex teacher, burst into the room. "Headmaster, it's chaos. I'm getting reports in from Manga Alley. Apparently, there have been three cases of level one Necromancy that have become known to the General Public." The headmaster sighed, before looking to Evangeline, who closed her eyes. "I was afraid of this. Von Hausen was renouned for his skill in the black arts of Necromancy." He said, when Konoka put her hand up.

"Um...What's Necromancy?" She asked, a puzzled look on her face. Her grandfather looked glum. Setsuna held up her hand, indicating to the elderly gentleman that she would tell Konoka.

"Ojou-sama...Necromancy is a forbidden magical practice which involves resurrecting the dead in order to tell the future. Or, it was, in the beginning. It has since degenerated into a way of calling back parts of souls into their bodies. In other words, Zombies..." She trailed off. Konoka looked a little puzzed, before her expression suddenly changing into one of knowledge. "Ohhh! Like in that video game!" She said happily. Negi frowned.

"No, Konoka, like real life, bits of rotting flesh hanging off bleached bones dead people walking around trying to kill innocent people." He said, sorrow and anger present in his voice. Takamichi held up his hand.

"Actually, Negi-kun, the reports say the three that have been seen don't seem to be attacking anyone. It's almost like they're just...wandering around. Exploring. One even paid for a map of the city. A rusty five hundred yen coin, from about thirty years ago, according to eye witnesses."

Evangeline chuckled when she heard this. "Typical Demitri. He may be evil, but he's still a Lord. Stealing is below him." She said, a slight grin on her face. Asuna, who had been fighting to say something since Takamichi had entered, but had been too embarassed to say anything, finally spoke. "Um...doesn't this mean people now know about magic? Isn't that dangerous?"

Konoemon nodded. "Takahata, begin damage control." The bestubbled man nodded. "Already started, sir. Teams have been deployed to take care of the corpses, and to quell the fires of rumor."

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!?" Haruna yelled, once she and Kazumi had gotten to a place devoid of the smell of decay. She coughed violently, before falling to her knees, onto grass. The girls were at the base of the World Tree now, where a group of teachers was informing everyone that the zombies had been an elaborate advertising campaign by the University Drama club. Kazumi was already gathering information on the 'attack', and had already taken some eye witness accounts, and an official statement from three teachers.

"HARUNA!!" A low voice proclaimed. The green haired girl turned to see Yue running towards her. "Haruna, you're ok!" She said, falling to her knees, wrapping her arms around the girl. Haruna was still shaken from the experience, and merely nodded.

"For a given meaning of OK, certainly." She muttered.

"You didn't turn up to class. What hapenned?" Yue asked, after she had un-wrapped herself from her friend. Haruna closed her eyes.

"Well, I... uh, it's a long story. Very long..." She said, before openning her eyes, and smiling at Yue, giving her a thumbs up, and winking. "All in a days work for Paru, though!" She said, masking her anxiety and confusion with upbeat humor. Kazumi returned at this moment, chuckling to..._Herself? Or is she talking to someone? Jeez, even Kazumi's acting weird today..._ Haruna thought.

"I don't believe them for a minute. Three teachers all giving different info..." Kazumi mused, a mischievous grin on her face. Behind Haruna, Yue began shaking her hands, indicating her to stop talking. Yue had received a text message from Konoka, a fellow Explorer club member, telling her that the Zombies were real. Yue had already been searching for Haruna, and she had put two and two together. Kazumi, noticing the girls frantic waving, said no more on the subject. The three girls decided to head to the school Cafeteria for lunch, and began to head in the direction of the school.

_**Hrrrm. So this place is called Ma Ho Ra. I have been awoken in what once was Nippon, the land of the gods, although it is now called Ja Pan. This land was always full of magic...**_ the shadow mused. The information he had gathered from his four shamble zombies was proving very informative. Three had indeed stalked through the city, sending widespread panic, taking in what little information dead brains could. The purchase of the Book of Guiding, along with the chart of the area had been an idea worthy of promotion for the shamble, which was, even now, being given strength from the Lords own power resevres. He needed more Ghouls like this one, in order to drain the magi of their power, and regain his own body. But, for now, Shamble Zombies and Skeletons would have to do...

The walk to the cafeteria was a silent one. Yue and Kazumi had exchanged nervous glances to each other, and Haruna had remained completely silent, refusing to even look up from the pavement. It tore Yue up inside that she coudl not tell her friend of the secret she kept for her teacher. However, it was dangerous for even herself to know, let alone Haruna, the schools biggest gossip. She sighed._ If only she were to find out on her own. That would solve the problem..._ She thought before shaking her head. _Stop that, Yue. No master plans..._

"Hey, Yuetchi..." Kazumi said, suddenly, her voice thick with worry, "How long has Haruna not been with us?" She asked. Yue looked around sharply, and found that her friend was indeed missing. "umm..." A quiet voice whispered. It was Sayo, Kazumi's 'sidekick'. The ghost was always with Kazumi, and, normally, Kazumi was the only one without magical power who could see her. However, she had made herself known to Yue now._ Could it be because I'm practicing my magic? Maybe I'm getting stronger._ The girl mused.

"What is it, Sayo-chan?" The reporter said, smiling reassuringly. The shy ghost smiled, albeit nervously. "Uh...She wandered away about ten minutes ago. I don't know where she went..." she said, her hands clasped together. Yue sagged. "It's clear she wants some alone time. We should find Negi-sensei, and ask him what's going on.

"Um...Sec-chan? Where are we going?" Konoka asked, as she jogged to keep up with her best friend. The Shinmei school pupil had a determined look on her face, and had stormed out of the headmasters study when the subject of getting rid of the vampire had come up. IT had been the suggestion of using the Academys biggest single store of magic as a lure to get Demitri to reveal his location. It had angered Sec-chan so much she had stood up, screamed "HOW COULD YOU!?" at Konoemon, and stomped out of the room.

"Somewhere away from them." Setsuna replied. Konoka was concerned for her friend. She had never raised her anger towards her superiors before. Konoka stopped walking alongside the girl, and folded her arms. Setsauna turned back at the girl, the beginnings of a glare in her eyes.

"Sec-chan. I don't think this is a good idea." Konoka said, before flinching. The swordsgirl had lost her cool. "WILL YOU STOP SAYING THAT?!" She yelled, advancing on the white mage. The rage lasted all of a moment. Setsuna stopped dead, and looked down at her hands. "I...I..." She stammered, before turning away from the girl. "I am sorry, Ojou-sama..." She said, before beginning to run away. Konoka was prepared for this, though, and had grabbed onto her shirt, tugging her back.

"How...how could I just sit there? They were talking about using you! Using you as bait! I...How could they think up something like that?" Setsuna stammered, her voice breaking. Her anger had subsided, replaced with sorrow. Konoka said nothing, but pulled the girl back even furthur, eventually hugging the shorter girl from behind. "Kono...chan..." The girl whispered.

"Thank you, Sec-chan. Your concern means more to me than anything." Konoka whispered into the girls ear.

_There she is! Thank goodness she's still alive! I may still be able to pull this off..._ The cloaked girl thought as she raced down the alleyway. The green hair and twin antennae were unmistakable. In a single movement, she dropped down from the rooftops, infront of the glum Haruna, her cloak billowing in the updraft she caused. "Follow me, please!" The girl exclaimed, taking hold of Harunas arm. Haruna resisted. "No. I want to know what's going on!"

"PLEASE! There are creatures following me! We must get to a safe place. I will tell you everything there! Hurry!" The masked person exclaimed, tugging on Parus arm again. This time, she allowed herself to be moved. The pair dashed down the alleyway, ducking between discarded boxes, and forgotten items, heading towards an older area of the City. Mere minutes later, they were in the hollow belly of the old church. Haruna was clutching her stomach, trying desperately to get her breath back, but the cloaked girl was barely out of breath at all.

"Ok, what the hell is going on. Zombies, Dreams, Lesbians, Amnesia. I want answers!" The cloaked figure was looking outwards at the tree line. She waited until she was satisfied about something, before turning to Haruna.

"Answers...That, I think I can do..." She said, softly. Her voice reminded Haruna of someone, but she couldn't quite place it. She sat down on the crumbling staircase. the mysterious girl leapt upwards, clearing nearly twenty feet with ease. She landed on the top of a broken wall, and sat on the rock, looking down at Paru.

"Saotome Haruna. You have recently been experiencing...odd dreams, correct?" The cloaked figure said. It was more a statement than a question. Haruna nodded.

"Dreams about a young boy named Micheal?" Again, a nod. "You no doubt have done research into the legend of Hausen because of this. I must inform you that...you are the Vessel of Micheals spirit."


	5. Chapter 5 : Revelation

**Chapter 5: Revelation**

"I'm...what?" Haruna sad, after some time. The cloaked figure stood up, and began to walk along the thin, rickety edge, her arms held out wide, to assist with her balance. She looked towards Haruna again.

"The Vessel of Micheal. Did you not find out about the curse?" She said, sounding surprised. Haruna shook her head slowly. The figure sighed, before dropping from the wall. She grabbed onto a beam as she fell, swung herself up onto it, padded along the wooden plank, making no noise. When she was above the manga-ka, she wrapped her legs around the beam, and allowed herself to hang, which caused her cloak to slip a little, revealing tanned bare feet and legs.

"The curse was placed upon Micheal the day he vanquished Von Hausen. He was to suffer the same fate as the Vampire, to be resurrected as easily as them. A Vampire never truely dies, thery merely turn to dust until they are next reborn. The two are doomed to fight each other for all eternity. Every time, Von Hausen manifests, he summons an army of unliving creatures, and every time, Micheals spirit has to enter a Vessel in order to fight.

Haruna was dumbstruck. "So...my dreams haven't been dreams at all. They've been memories?" The hooded figure nodded, dropping to the floor and landing on her feet. Haruna frowned. "And what about Crying Sky? The little girl who could talk to animals? Did she get cursed as well?" The cloaked figure shook her head.

"No, I did not." She stated. Haruna couldn't help but laugh. "Riiiight. Look, I'm not buying this. Magic, Vampires? That stuff's not real." She said, standing up. She went to walk past the girl, who sighed.

"Very well. Silka! Please block the door." She said. There was a low growl as a response, and a huge grey wolf appeared at the door. Haruna shreiked.

"GAAAAAAAAAAH! What the hell is a wolf doing in the City?" She screamed. The hooded girl giggled.

"Anything I ask her to, within reason"

"OK, so, you may be Crying Sky, but Vampires? Magic? It's all real?" The hood nodded.

"I'm afraid so." Silence was present for a few moments.

"I kinda suspected..." Paru said, before chuckling. She sighed, and added, "You don't sound old."

"I age differently to other people. My mind is over four hundred years old, my body, barely fourteen..." the hooded girl said, hints of sorrow in her voice. Suddenly,. her head flicked upwords, and to the forest.

"They have found us. We must run." She said, taking hold of Harunas hand. The two girls ran out of the church, into the forest.

Back at the Headmasters study, Negi, Asuna and Takahata had left. The diminutive professor and Asuna, to find Konoka and Setsuna, and the rugged older man to assist with the clean up.

"You know who the Vessel is, don't you?" The old man said, after a while. The tiny Vampire nodded.

"Yup!" She said happily.

"So, what do you want?" The man said knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Hah! You think I'm actually going to tell you?" The only thing you could offer me that I'd even consider would be total freedom from this hell of a curse, but you'd never offer me that!" She yelled, turning away from the bearded man, who sighed. He had feared as much.

"Very well, Evangeline, If that is how you feel , I will not force it out of you. Thank you for your time, goodbye." He said, his tone indicating that he wanted the girl to leave, and fast. As the door closed behind the girl, he looked out of his window. "My dear city is in danger once again. Maybe I'm getting too old for all this..."

Within the depths of the Library, things were hapenning. Dust from all over the place was converging on an empty cellar room. _**Haaah! My creatures are already consuming vast amounts of magical energy! I will be whole within hours! Soon, only that accursed Vessel will be the only thing to stop me! **_The spirit of Von Hausen cackled within his own thoughts, before suddenly wavering. His Creatures were meeting fierce opposition from someone...

A few miles away, Setsuna was fighting, not only for her own life, but for her Ojou-sama as well. The beastly monstrosities had ambushed them, and trappred them. Now, Setsuna was facing off against seven skeleton warriors. Her blade could cut through them easily enough, but they would always come right back, their bones fusing back together again. No matter how finely she cut, the monsters always healed.

"OJOU-SAMA!!" The swordsgirl yelled, trying to protect the girl she cared for above all others. It was no good. As she tried to swing, one of the boney hands grabbed her arm, and tugged her back, the grip vicelike, and painful. She screamed as she watched one, presumably the leader, place a large red jewel on the brown haired girl, who then convulsed in pain.

"KONO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!"

_**AAAAAAAAA**_AAAAAAAH!!!!" The spiritual yell of Von Hausen became the yell of a humanoid. The dust converged, and formed the shape of a man in his mid twenties, complete with elegant, black clothing. The man collapsed onto the floor, but began laughing.

"Ahahahahahaha! I AM BACK!" He yelled, flexing his muscles. He looked around the cellar, and sighed.

"This will never do..." He mumbled, before focusing himself.

The explosion rocked the entire city. From the centre of the library, a huge spire emerged, rising nearly a hundred fee tinto the air. The sky seemed to darken, and storm clouds rolled in from every direction. Within minutes, the whole city was in darkness and the heavens openned, unleasing a torrent of rain unlike nothing the earth had seen for nearly three hundred years. A dark mist began to creep through the city, a deadly mist that turned everything living it touched into a fiend of ghastly undeath. The whole city, save for those protected by the various magical fields that had been erected, had been tranformed into mindless zombies.

The wave of magic hit both Haruna and She, causing the latter to collapse to the floor. Haruna stopped, and fell to her knees besides the girl.

"What was that?" She said, panicing. She went to move the girls hood, but the girl snapped.

"NO! DON'T TOUCH MY HOOD!" She yelled. Haruna backed away slightly. "I...I'm sorry...I was trying to..." She began, before falling silent. _Did that sound like...Zazie? Nah, just my mind being weird... _Haruna mused, as the cloaked figure pushed herself up slowly.

"I am sorry, I did not mean to yell...I do not wish for anyone to see me..." Crying Sky said, her voice full of regret. "The Vampire has gained his full form. But...this is too soon. He would have had to consumed an amount of energy enough to best even the Thousand Master..." The girl said, before sagging. "There is nothing we can do. You are not ready..." She began, before receiving a swit smack to her back.

"HEY! No talking like that. Where there's hope, there's a chance, right?" Haruna said, giving the girl her biggest grin. The hood moved up, looking almost directly at Haruna. The girl could just about see a smile underneith the material, but couldn't quite see the rest of the face out.

"You are correct. We must try..." The girl said, her voice low.

"OK, then, let's go beat us a Vampire!" Paru said, quite a lot brighter than she actually felt.

_But...If we beat him...I'll..I'll lose you, Haru-chan..._ Zazie thought, as she looked at the offered arm of Haruna. _I don't want to lose you..._

The approach to Library Island was...different. There was no rush, no stunning view, no distracted wandering. If nothing else, Paru swore she would kill the Vampire for ruining that walk. The cloaked figure had been silent since the trip in the woods, but the two girls were now being followed by a multitude of animals, including bears, wolves, and even a few creatures that Paru recognised as being 'mythological'. There was a basilisk, and a griffon, and even a small dragon. _Hah, not, it's a Wyvern. No hands. Yue'd probably have a nag at me for getting that wrong... _She thought, as she walked towards her destination. At the start of the bridge to the Island, there was chaos. It seemed that those mages and people who had survived intact had taken the offencive, and were trying to get to the Library. Paru saw a few Teachers, and some students that she recognised. One of which was...

"TOMI-CHAN!" Paru yelled, dashing towards the girl, who was sitting hugging her knees, crying her eyes out. The small girl looked up, and screamed.

"SENPAI!" the yell was loud enough to attract almost everyones attention, including the Headmasters, who had joined the battle. Mages abnd Mundanes were fighting side by side, against the flow of the undead horde. Tomiko wrapped her arms around the green haired girl, and sobbed.

"The library blew up, and then there was all therse people, but they were dead, but still moving..." She wailed. Haruna patted her on the shoulder. The Headmaster approached Haruna and She.

"Would you be She of the Crying Sky?" He said to the robed person, who nodded. Konoemon sighed.

"Which would make you, Saotome-san, the Vessel, correct?" Haruna nodded.

"Yeah, I'm gonna take this creep down!" She said, grinning. The headmaster look almost read to cry.

"I am sorry, Saotome-san, that it had to be you. I am sorry that it had to be anyone..." He said, his voice nearly breaking. Haruna looked confused.

"Wha? I'm gonna beat him!" the girl said. She placed her hand on Harunas shoulder.

"We must get going..." She said, suddenly, pointing towards the horde. "Animals, please make a path for me and the Vessel of Micheal." As she said this, the gathering of beasts that had formed behind her charged forwards, plouging into the mass of undead bodies. Slowly but surely, amidst a flurry of claws and talons, a path began to form. Strangely, though there were more abominations that could have filled the gap, they seemed to stand, almost as if they had been instructed not to fight.

"This is a test...He wants us to come, so he can face you himself. He just wants to know how much power I still wield..." The hooded girl said, her voice sounding strained. After a few minutes, the two girls had reached the other side of the bridge, and stood before the huge doors, which were shut. The two girls tried to open them, but there was no budging the doors without...

"Shinmeiryu technique: ZANGANKEN!" A voice yelled from behind the girls, and a hairline fracture appeared. Slowly, the door split in two, one half remaining attached to the hinges, the other falling into the library. The duo turned to see Setsuna standing on the bridge, sword in hand, white wings protruding from her back, and a half mad look in her eyes. She look directly at Haruna, who looked back.

"They have Konoka. I'm coming with you." She stated, sheathing her sword. Haruna walked up to the girl, and smiled.

"Wings? Very cool." She said, in a whisper, before turning back.

"I have absolutely no idea how I'm going to beat this guy, but we'll give it our best shot, right?" She sad, to both the girls. Setsuna nodded, as did the robed girl.

"I'm tired!" Haruna whinged. The three girls had entered the library, and been confronted by a complete lack of, well, anything. There had just been a wide empty hall, and a staircase in the middle, which the girls had been climbing for the last thirty minutes.

"WE KNOW!" the two other girls chorused. This was the third time in the last two minutes she had said that.

"Where's the top of this thing?" She asked.

"WE DON''T KNOW!" The two girls yelled. Slience reigned for another minute.

"I'm tired!" Haruna whinged, again, causing the two girls to yell at her.

Eventually, the trio managed to get to the top of the huge tower. It seemed that half way up, the Count had gotten bored with waiting, and used his magic to teleport them up most of the way. The three girls came out at the top of the spire and looked upon a luxurious room that was about half the size of the Library itself. Lush curtains covered every window, magnificent carpets were on every inch of the floor, and a huge mahogany table filled the space between the door and the seat of Honour, which wasd a massive black metal throne, adorned with bat shapes.

"A little tasteless, but there are some things one has to do, being Nosferatu." A well spoken male voice echoed throughout the hall. The door behind the girls slammed shut, suddenly, and two sets of footsteps could be heard. Von Hausen walked towards the girls slowly, with his prisoner in tow. It was Konoka, dressed in an incredibly revealing nightgown, and not much else.

"HOW DARE YOU DRESS UP OJOU-SAMA IN SUCH AN OUTFIT!" Setsuna yelled, blushing as red as a beetroot.

"Hah! You're just Jealous that you'll never get a piece of this!" Konoka snapped, suddenly. There was a slight echo to her voice, as though she were being spoken through. "I've known for a while about how you feel for me, demonette. I am practically a Princess, one of the most powerful mages in the world, and you are a half caste nothing! Get real! I would require a Lord to be my husband."

Setsuna said nothing. Her sword hand was shaking, her hand turning white with the strength of her grip. She was fighting back against tears.

"Von Hausen! We will destroy you!" She of the Crying Sky yelled, suddenly, dashing towards the man. He waved his hand vaguely, and the girl was picked up, and flung against the nearest wall, causing her to scream in pain.

"SHE!" Haruna yelled, dashing towards the fallen girl, who's hood had fallen.

"NO!!!" The girl eylled, trying to conceal her face, but it was no good. Haruna had seen the girls face.

"Z..Zazie.." Paru mumbled.

"I am sorry...I should have said..." Zazie muttered, her voice losing the timbre it had before. Now, her voice was instantly recognisable as the acrobats.

"Look, I, er...I don't hate you, ok. I didn't mean to.." Haruna began, trying to apologise for what had transpired earlier in the day. Zazie's eyes widenned.

"Haru..na..." She whispered, grabbing hold of the girl, and hugging her tightly, and sobbing. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." she kept whispering.

"Zazie, it's ok."

"NO! I didn't tell you the last part of the curse...The Vessel of Micheal...when they defeat Von Hausen...they..." She mumbled, before being cut off by laughter from the Vampire.

"HAHAHAHA! You didn't tell her, did you, Cryer? My Dear Vessel, you are going to Die. Regardless of wether I win or lose, you will lose your life." He said, enjoying every second of his speech. Haruna stared at Zazie.

"Is this true?" She said, anger present in her voice. The tan skinned girl began to sob softly.

"Yes... If you defeat him, you will die..." the girl managed, before her words became clouded by the tears.

Haruna stared for a good minute, before standing. She had tears streaming down her face. Her next words were a mere whisper. "I hate you..." Zazies eyes widenned. "I HATE YOU!!!" Haruna yelled, before turning, and running from the gathered people. The door swung open as she ran towards it.

"It is of no consequence. I shall let my minions rip her to shreds." Von Hausen said, grasbbing hold of Konoka. "Come, my princess, we have much ruling to do."

"Get your hands off her!" Setsuna growled suddenly, her eyes tranforming from her human ones to her true eyes, deep, red glowing pits.

"Ahaha! You think you can fight me? A pitiful little demon like you?" the vampire started, before being cut off by a tug on his arm.

"Let me take care of her for you, my lord." Konoka said, giggling. The count smiled, and nodded. "I will take care of the Cryer!" He said, advancing on the still crying girl.

"JAEGERNAUN!!!" Zazie yelled, suddenly, flinching away from the Vampires hand.

A little way down the stairs, Haruna had come to a stop. She had run as fast as she dared, her emotion slowly overtaking her. Now, she was sitting on one step, crying her eyes out. _I don't want to die! I don't want to die!_ Was all she could think. Suddenly, a huge boom rocked the whole tower, which caused Haruna to look up. Natural light, what there was of it, was filtering down the staircase.

"That's one neat trick that girl's got. She's almost on a par with me." A familiar voice said just below Haruna.

"EVANGELINE!" Paru yelled, staring at the tiny blonde,

"Hah. Here, and now, I am the Dark Evangel. You're pathetic, you know. Crying your eyes out because of a little adverse circumstance. You're so selfish. You've got a whole world to save, and you're worried about yourself." The tiny girl said, stepping past the girl.

"Wait! What can I do? I'm just a manga-ka. I can't fight, I can't use magic. All I can do is draw." Haruna exclaimed, in between sobs.

"Feh. Like I said, Pathetic." The female vampire said, not stopping. Soon, she was out of sight. _What can I do...I can't do anything...besides writing._


	6. Chapter 6 : Death

**Chapter Six: Death**

The blast was not a magical attack. It had been the impact of Jaegernaun, the beats Zazie had called forth. Jaegernaun was a twenty foot long black scaled dragon, and it had ripped the roof off the spire with one swoop past, and had landed placing a foot between Zazie and the Vampire Lord.

"Lady Zazie. I Heard Your Call. The Fiend Has Reappeared. This Is Unfortunate." The dragon growled, his loud, deep voice echoing for miles. Zazie said little more than mumbles.

"You Are Not Maing Sense, Lady. Please Speak Clea..." He began, before being impacted by a dark shadow. The vampire had tranformed himself into a dark beast of the night, a true Nosfertatu monster, with blue skin, and huge claws and fangs, and he now stood nearly ten feet tall. A single kick had sent the dragon reeling, causing him to nearly crash into Setsuna, who was trying her best to avoid the magical attacks of Konoka.

"I WILL NOT ATTACK YOU, OJOU-SAMA!" She screamed, launching herself up into the air to avoid a blast of lightning.

"Good. That'll make destroying you an awful lot easier!" The girl sneered in reply, launching another fork of lightning at the flying girl.

Zazie, in the meantime, was finding it hard to do anything. To have gone from Haruna hating her to not hating her back to hating her again in less than two minutes had completely destroyed the girl. She was about to try and crawl away when she felt a foot kick her in the side. She rolled onto her back, and looked at the kicker, fearing the worst.

"You two are as pathetic as each other. Rainyday, grow a backbone, and go get Saotome back up here." Evangeline said to the girl, her blonde locks blowing in the breeze caused by the flapping of the mighty dragon.

"But..." Zazie began, before being kicked again. "No buts about it. You know there's a way past the curse, don't you! Go do it!" Evangeline yelled, before running towards the Vampire monster, her fingernails seeming to extend. The dark power within the air was enfusing itself to the female Vampire, and giving her some of her powers back. Zazie stood slowly, and made her way towards the stairs.

Haruna was still sat on her step. She didn't want to leave here, and face everyone, telling them she was scared, so she wouldn't be trying to stop the Vampire, but she didn't want to go and lose her life fighting either. All she could find herself doing right now was cry. Cry, cry, cry. She had tried to move, but her whole body was limp. She was numb. She didn't even move her head when she felt someone place an arm across her shoulders, and slide down beside her.

"I'm sorry, Haruna. I didn;t tell you because...because I may have found a way past the curse. A loophole. however, " She said, adding however very quickly, so as to prevent the girl from getting her hopes up, "It is...not viable...right now..." She continued, trying to pick her way around the fact.

"What do you mean?" Harna mumbled.

"The circumstances of the loophole...we would have to...err..." Zazie faltered. She wanted to say, but at the same time, she didn't.

"What?"

"Are you familiar with the pactio contract?" Zazie said, knowing that Haruna wasn't. The green ahaired girs head shook from side to side.

"It would allow you to borrow some of my power. It might be enough to stop the curse." Zazie said, again sidestepping the fact about the contract.

"So, let's do it. Hey...Why haven't you ever done it before?" Haruna said, supiciously. Zazie sighed.

"Because...the contract must be formed with...a kiss..." She said, turning bright red.

"Oh..." Was all Haruna could say. After a few moments, she managed "So, why couldn't you kiss those before?" Zazire blushed even redder. She turned away from Haruna, and put the hood up on her cloak.

"Because I wasn't in love with any of the other vessels..." she mumbled.

"Pardon?"

"I...I wasn't...in love with any of the other vessels..." She said, slightly louder. Harunas mouth openned wide, but no sounds came out. Her cheeks began to heat up, as a blush of her own began to race across them.

"Z..Zazie..." She managed after a while. _OH MY GOD!!! SOMEONE SAID THEY LOVE ME! That someone was a girl. THAT SOMEONE WAS ZAZIE!? OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!! _Her mind was in a state of shock. Suddenly, a tiny thought from the back of her mind came crawling up. Remember me? I know what you really think. And you're thinking you've known all along, and you're ok with it, aren't you? You know what has to be done!

Haruna rubbed her raw eyes, and shuffled forwards slowly. She span Zazie around sudenly, and planted her lips onto the tan girls. The sensation was intense. The warmth of another person against her was...unlike anything she could have ever described in her manga. Her hands had been on the girls shoudlers, but they slowly fell to her waist, then wrapped around her. The tan girl did the same, and the two were soon locked in an embrace.

"Uh...Haruna..." Zazie sad, after the kiss had ended, her face still red. "I, er...I have to actually draw out a contract circle to create the pactio...so that kiss...was just a kiss. We have to do it again..." She squeaked. Haruna simply chuckled.

"So? Felt pretty good. A girl could get hooked on that feeling..." She said, her hand squeezing Zazies own, which caused the tan girl to smile.

A few seconds of rapid drawing had the contract circle ready, and the two girls stood in the centre,. their arms around each other.

"This may still not save your life..." Zazie began, before having a finger placed on her lips.

"Doesn't matter. I can't see life getting much better than this, can you?" Haruna said, smiling. Zazie shook her head.

"No, I can't...PACTIO!" As she said the word, the two girls lips locked again.

A battle between two vampires is always going to be epic, but the battle between Evangeline and Demitri was...Apocalyptic. The two dark masters hurled spells that shook the entire tower at each other, both levitating all over. The battle between Setsuna and Konoka had seemed to end, with the mage straddling the injured half demon, staring into her eyes.

"Cut me! Hurt me! Destroy me! You can't, can you? You, who claims to be of the Shinmei school, cannot bring yourself to harm your enemy? Some bodyguard you are! She would never have loved you"

"I WILL NOT HURT KONOKA!!!" Setsuna yelled, trying to get out of the grip of the posessed girl. A grip that wavered, very slightly.

"Konoka..." The girl whispered, before sneering again. "HAH! You have no right to adress me so formally. You can call me your majesty, like everyone else on this planet will!" Setsuna's demonic eyes widenned. There was still something of her Kono-chan stll within, trying to get out.

"You may be right. Konoka may never love me the way I love her. She may never even consider me her bodyguard, she may, even, resent me and despise me. However, I will NEVER stop protecting her. It is my whole purpose of living to protect her from ANYTHING. KONO-CHAN! I SWEAR, I WILL PROTECT YOU!!!" She yelled, pushing upwards, the hold ther girl had on her weakening. Konoka looked down at Setsuna, wetness forming on her eyes.

"Sec-chan..." She whispered. Suddenly, the entire tower was enveloped in a bright light. The light came from within the spire, spreading over the whole area. When it had subsided, Setsunas wounds had disapeasred. She still ached, but she could move about freely. Konoka was lying on the floor, unmoving. Upon checking, she was sleeping, deeply. Setsuna sighed with relief.

From the remains of the stairwell, Zazie emerged, a huge smile on her face. She seemed to have an energy to her that was not present before. A tumultous roar came from above, as hundreds of flying creatures converged on the tower. There were birds of all sizes from humming birds to eagles, Monstrous dragons, wyverns, unicorns, if it had wings and could fly, it was present. From the edge of the parapet, thousands more creatures, those unblessed with flight, emerged, all ready to fight to the end. Zazie herself had even become slightly more bestial, sporting two tiny fluffy ears, and a white tail. Evangeline landed next to the girl, and applauded.

"Nice job, Rainyday. Now all we have to do is win..." She muttered.

"I think I can help with that!" A commanding voice came from the stairwell. Haruna emerged from the stairwell wearing a huge frilly dress, covered with lace, of a dark emerald colour. She also had with her a huge blue pencil, nearly six feet long, with a point as sharp as a swords. The pencil had four symbols, each representing an element. From the stairwell behind her, even more animals emerged. The vampire landed at one end of the roof, snarling. He had grown in size, and was nearly as tall as the Dragon who was nearby.

"YOU WILL NEVER DESTROY MEEE!!!" He screamed, and charged.

"LIC LAC LALAC LILAC! A THOUSAND YEARS OF ICE; GLACIER!!!" Evangeline yelled, causing huge shards of ice to fall from the sky, striking the lumbering beast, stopping his charge. Zazie leapt up onto one of the ice blocks, and stood.

"Horse, Rabbit, Ox, Rat, Dragon, Monkey, Snake, Pig, Dog, Tiger, Rooster, Ram, Cat. THIRTEEN ANIMALS, ZODIAC STRIKE!!!" She called, and was enveloped by one of each of the thirteen animals she had called for. When she emerged, she was glowing. The animals had seemingly fainted. She pointed at the recoiling Nosferatu, and a huge beam of energy shot from her, striking it, hard, which caused it to recoil again.

"SHINMEIRYU ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE! EVIL CUTTING STRIKE, FINAL FORM!" Setsuna yelled from up above, swinging her sword, casting a huge line of energy which struck the beast, casuing it more pain.

"Haru-chan. Now!" Zazie yelled, as the girl surged forward.

_**I am with you, Miss Haruna.**_

_Who the hell are you?_

_**I am the one they call Micheal. I must thank you. I have never seen She of the Crying Sky smile before, and yet you were able to make her do so. I will give you my all in order to vanguish the evil monster.**_

_Micheal...What was it like kissing a vampire?_

_**Kinda scary, especially since he tried to turn me into a thrall afterwards...**_

_Ah. Yeah, that'd be a bit of a turn off. How can we beat him?_

_**Drive a wooden stake through his heart...**_

_Will a six foot long pencil do?_

_**We must hope that it will...**_

The girl ran to the beast, and leapt. Her speed, and abilities had been enchanced by Zazie's power, but she was still not fast enough to avoid the beasts strike. She was swatted back, landing heavily.

"HARUNAAAA!!!!" Zazie screamed, dashing to her friends side.

"I'm OK...just..got turned around, that's all..." She said, before pushing herself up. "He's still too reactive, I can't get close enough.

"YOUUUU WILLL NOTTTT WINNNNN!!!" The vampire lord yelled, crashing through the ice.

"Um...Can I ask something..." Evangeline said, suddenly. "If we do survive this, can you not tell anyone I helped out? I don't want to get a reputation as a good guy..." Haruna nodded, before charging again. This time, the trio launched their attacks together, almost completely disabling the vampire, as Haruna leapt. The strike was not elegant, nor precise, but it did the trick. The huge wood and graphite pencil drove deeply into the body of the beast, causing a terible roar of pain from the beast. As he stepped back, Haruna leapt back, landing badly. The vampire reeled, and, slwoly, fell back. And fell off the tower. The fall alone was enough to knock him unsocsious, but the wood through his heart finished him off. The beast had turned to dust again before it hit the water. Harunas clutched at her heart, she could feel her organs ceasing up. Her left arm began to go numb.

"AAAGH! HELP!!" She screamed, her vision blurring.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" Zazie screamed, rushing over to the woman she loved. She looked into Harunas eyes, her own eyes full of tears.

"Please...Please...don't die...please..." She whispered.

"Sorry...guess we didn't kiss quite rigumuumph" Haruna began, before mumbling. Zazie had pulled her up, and pressed her lips against Harunas. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was shaking violently, but she still kept contact with Harunas lips. Haruna could feel the warmth of the girl pressing against her, she could feel it working against the cold numbness within her chest. She place a hand on either side of Zazies face, and pushed her own lips against Zazies with more vigour. The girls remained like this until Zazie finally broke the kiss.

Haruna had her eyes closed, and she was moaning very, very gently. She openned her eyes slowly, and smiled.

"I think we got it right that time..." She said, before fainting.

"Haru-chan. Haru-chan. Are you awake?"

"hmmph. Just five more minutes, Yue-tchi..." Haruna mumbled.

"I think you might want to wake up..." Another voice said. It was Zazie. Haruna sat up, blinking. She tried to find her glasses.

"They got broken, I'm afraid..." Zazie said, placing a hand on the girls shoulder. Haruna smiled.

"Guess that whole pactio thing worked, didn't it?" She said,. Yue gasped.

"P..P..Pactio!? Who with?" She spluttered.

"With Zazie. It's fun, you should try it with someone, Yue" Haruna said, knowing that the girl woud be blushing by now. The next voice she heard was the Headmasters.

"Haruna Saotome, the entire world owes you so much. On behalf of the mages council, I extend my thanks." He said, bowing. Haruna smiled weakly.

The next few hours were almost as much chaos as before the battle. An announcement was put over the tannoy system confirming that the phenomenon was indeed due to magic, and, within a few hours, the entire City was aware of the presence of magi. The sun was setting when Haruna made her way to the old church. She had been trying to find Zazie, who had vanished when Haruna had been paraded through the streets as a hero. Now, she wanted to be with her. She walked up to the church, and saw a semi-familiar face standing guard.

"Silka, was it? Can I please come in. I need to talk to Zazie." She said, her hands clasped together, pleeding with the wolf. The wolf nodded, reluctantly, and stood aside.

"Zazie, are you there?" The girl called out.

"Haruna?" An excited vocie returned. Zazie dropped from the rafters, and embraced the girl, squeezing tightly. "I thought you'd want to be with your friends..."

"I do. But I want you to be there, too." Haruna said, adding, "You're important to me. Heck, I love you, girl. Why wouldn't I want tommph" She said, but was cut off again by Zazie kissing her.

"Haruna..." Zazie said after a while, her voice still full of regret. "You...you will forget all this."

"I'd never forget this, Zazie. Not like I'll forget killing a huge vampire monster, or my first kiss." Haruna said, hanging her arm around the girl, who began to sob softly. "Z..Zazie!"

"It's another part of the curse...Anyone and anything involved in the battle will revert to the way it was before the battle. Everyone will forget about it, save for a few broken memories, or dreams. I'm the only one who remembers..." The girl wailed, crying deeply.

"Zazie. I promise you. I will not forget. Hey, " She said, holding up her little finger. "I pinky swear on it." she said, hooking her little finger in one of Zazie's.

"Haruna...I love you."

"I love you too, Zazie."

Haruna awoke with a start. Her hand moved slowly over to her right, where she found her glasses. She placed the on, and stared at her clock.

_UUGH. Another vivid dream and still not enough time to write it now... _She thought, stumbling out of bed. She quickly dressed, being sure to be quiet, and left the room.

_Heh. Chisame is up before me, again. Seriously, that girl needs some fresh air. Hehe. _She thought, as she walked past the girls dorm. Suddenly, though, she stopped, a mischeivous grin on her face. Banging on the door loudly, she called out "MORNING, CHIU!" Before jogging onwards.

The morning was crisp, and Haruna could see her own breath as she walked towards the school building. She passed Chao and Satsuki both carrying some sort of box, presumably for the food cart they would inevitably be manning at the next festival. Hey, it's only in a few weeks. I really should pull my finger out a bit...I need to get a permit for my Caricature design booth...

She nodded at the two, before entering the school building. Up the flight of stairs, along the corridor, and itno room 3-A. The room that had provided her with so much entertainment this year so far, and looked likely to provide even more. Pushing the door open, she couldn't help but smile. There she was, every morning, no matter what weather, no matter what time.

"Zazie, do you stalk me or something?" Haruna sad, as she took her seat. The juggling girl said nothing. Haruna sighed, and began to write details of her dream. About twenty minutes into this, she stopped, suddenly. She had tears in her eyes, and she was shaking.

Silently, she stood up, and turned to Zazie. The girl stopped juggling, and turned to Haruna. The green ahaired manga-ka extended her pinky slowly. A huge smile burst onto Zazie's face as she wrapped her own small finger around Haruna's, and was pulled upwards into an embrace.

"I did promise I'd remember, didn't I?" Haruna whispered, through her tears of joy. Zazie nodded, and mumbled, but her words were masked by her own tears. Their lips touched once again, delivering the two girls into a state of bliss.


End file.
